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[SCULLIBUNDO]

In this thread we list the films whose scores are so entwined into the final product that to remove them would be removing a limb from the film so vital that it would cease to have nearly the measure of affectation.

I submit that Taxi Driver - masterpiece as it is, wouldn't be nearly as powerful had somebody else taken the musical reigns instead of Hermann.

 

[WanderingWind]

All of them.

 

[Medalion]

Star Wars.

 

[mjc]

I'd argue Indiana Jones, to an extent.

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

All of them.

Whelp. A home run on the first reply.

 

[MMaRsu]

That movie.. with all the buildings and just the music and the shots. No story or anything. Can't remember the name.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

That movie.. with all the buildings and just the music and the shots. No story or anything. Can't remember the name.

Koyaanisqatsi?

 

[EvilMario]

 

[Amir0x]

All of them.

Ding ding ding.

Movies which have a spectacular score supporting them are much rarer however.

Requiem for a Dream has this sort of amazing soundtrack, for example. Schindler's List has it too.

 

[Salsa]

All of them.

Perfect first reply, and i completely agree, at least all of the good ones.

But just to go with the thread, and post some popular recent examples:

but, hell.. all of them.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Gattaca

But one film that I could watch with only the music and it would still have the same emotional impact:

 

[Zeliard]

Most of what John Williams has had a hand in, for one. He gets some criticism, but one thing you can say is that his scores tend to be dominant in their films and highly memorable.

 

[Veidt]

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Most of what John Williams has had a hand in. He gets some criticism, but one thing you can say is that his scores tend to be dominant in their films and highly memorable.

In the 70s and 80s yes. After Schindler's List he went WAY downhill until Harry Potter. That was the only movie of the last 15 years to retain some of his former majesty.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I'm not saying movies which wouldn't be as good as they are now without the same score. I'm saying movies whose score makes or breaks the movie.

Eg: As listed above, INCEPTION had a great score, but had say - John Newton Howard been given the task instead of Zimmer, I don't think anybody would be saying anything less of the film. It wouldn't dramatically drop in quality.

 

[Kraftwerk]

no country for old men

Spoiler

Don't hurt me

 

[Salazar]

Amelie would still be a superb film, but the score has this propulsive whimsy that I would really, really miss.

 

[Amir0x]

I'm not saying movies which wouldn't be as good as they are now without the same score. I'm saying movies whose score makes or breaks the movie.

Eg: As listed above, INCEPTION had a great score, but had say - John Newton Howard been given the task instead of Zimmer, I don't think anybody would be saying anything less of the film. It wouldn't dramatically drop in quality.

I believe a film like INCEPTION, which I didn't even particularly care for, is as good an example you're going to get. The soundtrack really was a remarkable part of scene setting and mood. It was as integral to the movie's quality as any other aspect.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

In the 70s and 80s yes. After Schindler's List he went WAY downhill until Harry Potter. That was the only movie of the last 15 years to retain some of his former majesty.

With all due respect, horse shit!

A.I, Catch Me If You Can (introductory sequence especially) and Munich all have wonderful scores. Munich is especially poignant.

 

[bud]

it's hanks' awesome performance that carries that movie; not the score. hell, i don't even remember what the score was like. :lol

 

[Dead]

In the 70s and 80s yes. After Schindler's List he went WAY downhill until Harry Potter. That was the only movie of the last 15 years to retain some of his former majesty.

His score for The Lost World is one of his most underrated ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj97NuSzGeY

Not to mention his scores for AI and Minority Report, which were fantastic as well.

 

[Trent Strong]

Gattaca.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

The best parts of the score were the parts that Williams wrote. Ottman's masterpiece was Usual Suspects.

 

[InfectedZero]

 

[Zeliard]

In the 70s and 80s yes. After Schindler's List he went WAY downhill until Harry Potter. That was the only movie of the last 15 years to retain some of his former majesty.

I really liked some of his recent Spielberg-movie scores, such as Catch Me If You Can and Munich. AI, also.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

With all due respect, horse shit!

A.I, Catch Me If You Can (introductory sequence especially) and Munich all have wonderful scores. Munich is especially poignant.

Ok, I forgot Catch Me if You Can. A departure for him, and still magnificent. And Munich was after Potter, but nowhere near as good. A.I.'s score was good, but not spectacular.

And seeing Basil Poledouris from Starship Troopers makes me think of another wonderful score of his:

 

[Danielsan]

Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Sunshine immediately came to mind.
But all of them is the correct answer.

 

[Korey]

Pirates of the Carribean

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

I believe a film like INCEPTION, which I didn't even particularly care for, is as good an example you're going to get. The soundtrack really was a remarkable part of scene setting and mood. It was as integral to the movie's quality as any other aspect.

Well this is good. Now we can get this discussion going. See I disagree. Since Inception felt to me like a plot-driver story, rather than a character - or hell, human driven story, the score wasn't as integral to the experience. Sure, the track TIME gives me that semblance of something going on deeper, but ultimately, the score isn't as integral in that films plight in how it affects the audience.

 

[Salsa]

I'm not saying movies which wouldn't be as good as they are now without the same score. I'm saying movies whose score makes or breaks the movie.

Eg: As listed above, INCEPTION had a great score, but had say - John Newton Howard been given the task instead of Zimmer, I don't think anybody would be saying anything less of the film. It wouldn't dramatically drop in quality.

Well.. we can never know, can we ?

I personally think that one particular music piece from the movie (you all know the one) attaches itself perfectly to the movie, and makes me think of it automatically when i think about the film. Thats a succesful score. Funny thing is that this particular piece was composed by Zack Hemsey and not Zimmer.


edit: ^^^ now that ive read that, i would agree that im refering to a succesful score but not in the same sense you are talking about there. Sure, this piece might even work better for a trailer and not the actual film (its on a trailer), but it works in being instantly recognizable and asocieted to the film. It blends with the tone of the film perfectly, and it can be seen as a score built from the ground up with this movie in mind. It understands the film, it just perfectly fits and blends with it, and thats a win for me.

 

[ruuk]

Easy Rider
The Crow
The Matrix
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 

[DECK'ARD]

Requiem For A Dream, and the way the repeating theme gets progressively darker and bleaker as the film progresses, is truly amazing.

The score, like the film itself, stays with you long after it's ended.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Easy Rider
The Crow
The Matrix
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Oh, good call. On the Morricone thread, "Once Upon a Time in the West" lives by its score. Hell, they shot the film to the music instead of the reverse like normal.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Magnolia, bovs.

 

[Discotheque]

Yeah pretty much TGTBATU and Once Upon a Time in the West (the music and the film are too important to each other).

Also LOTR trilogy for me.

 

[Raistlin]

So ... is anyone going to make a flipside thread?

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Ok, I forgot Catch Me if You Can. A departure for him, and still magnificent. And Munich was after Potter, but nowhere near as good. A.I.'s score was good, but not spectacular.

And seeing Basil Poledouris from Starship Troopers makes me think of another wonderful score of his:

See now Conan I can agree with. It would have been an absolute B-movie without the score. I'd say the score makes up for more than half of the experience that is Conan.

As for A.I's score not being spectacular: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tnt4LBsZ-I , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aey_KOCeKCU&feature=related

 

[Discotheque]

The Proposition.

Nick Cave ftw!

 

[Dead]

As for A.I's score not being spectacular: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tnt4LBsZ-I , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aey_KOCeKCU&feature=related

Fuuu-

Seriously, I dont see how you can say AIs score is anything less than magnificent.

Minority Report too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjmd0ifC2c&feature=related

 

[VGChampion]

Besides the correct answer of every movie ever.

 

[Expendable.]

What about scores that are better than their movies? I'm working on a feature like that now.

 

[artist]

 

[Megadragon15]

Enter The Dragon.
City Lights.

 

[bpfd]

 

[Salsa]

What about scores that are better than their movies? I'm working on a feature like that now.

Will read. There´s a ton of examples, but i dont wanna do your job

 

[Chamber]

Mortal Kombat

Not that it's a great movie, or even good, but the music is the only saving grace.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

You guys saying every movie ever clearly aren't getting it. Maybe I'm just doing a poor job explaining what I mean.

I'm not simply saying films with a great score, I'm saying films whose status as a great film are very much dependent on the particular score they currently have being a part of that package.

Eg: Take from somebody else's example above
Had Silvestri's score been interchanged with somebody else's on Conan, the movie would be a goddamn B movie.

versus

If INCEPTION's score had been swapped out for a generic score - sure it might not be as good as it is, but it would still stand as a great film as it is currently cut and plotted. The experience wouldn't suffer nearly as much. The overall quality of that film isn't so dependent on that score that it would fail to achieve much of its purpose without it.

 

[Raguel]

Also LOTR trilogy for me.

This. As much as I love the movies, I believe the score for the Lord of the Rings is completely vital. Anytime i hear anything from the score, i am instantly remind of the movie. So many great musical cues like "The Breaking of the Fellowship", "The King of the Golden Hall", theme of Gondor, etc. Amazing movie with an even more amazing soundtrack.

 

[harSon]

All of them.

I've seen plenty of excellent films that are completely absent of a score, although it seems to be a dying breed of film outside of some independent films.

 

[Expendable.]

Will read. There´s a ton of examples, but i dont wanna do your job

Ha, we already locked the list. Did it last week and gonna post in the next few days. I can post in this thread for those interested. We picked 15.